


Meeting Mummy

by chaostheoryy



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Confession, And Benji is a precious cinnamon roll, Benji's mom is in town, Ethan is one smooth-ass motherfucker, Gen, Holding Hands, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Post-Rogue Nation, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 06:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4695116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaostheoryy/pseuds/chaostheoryy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ethan decides to visit Benji on his day off, he is surprised to find that Benji isn't the only one inhabiting the younger agent's apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meeting Mummy

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot inspired by a suggestion left in my inbox by Tumblr user lordof-imladris (aka: consultingwriterjim) in which they came up with the idea of having Benji or Ethan meet the other's parents.

Assignments at the agency had become alarmingly sparse. Despite having given the order to reinstate the IMF, the chairman of the Senatorial committee had declared the necessity for temporary oversight after seeing evidence of  the less than organized tactics Hunley had laid out in his case against them. That, of course, was something no member of the Impossible Mission Force liked to hear.

In order to insure compliance with the chairman's order, Brandt had limited the amount of field work to be done by his team. Only in situations that showed strong promise of an extreme threat against the United States would the IMF take necessary action. And for Ethan Hunt, less field work meant a lot of time doing absolutely nothing.

With another daunting day of complete boredom laying ahead of him, Ethan decided to drop by Benji's apartment in the hopes of finding some entertainment in his friend's presence. He pulled up in front of the Capitol Yards apartment complex around eleven and made his way up to the sixth floor. It was only the second time he had been to Benji's apartment but he had no difficulty remembering exactly which room Benji lived in.

When he reached the door of apartment 628, he knocked firmly against the wood and patiently waited for Benji to answer. However, when the door was pried open, it wasn't Benji who was there to greet him. In his place was an older woman in an old-fashion floral dress whose shoulder-length brown hair was beginning to gray. She stood no taller than five foot four and bore eyes that were astonishingly similar in color to Benji's.

"Hello," she greeted him with a gentle smile.

Ethan looked at her in confusion for a moment. Either Benji had a taste for older women or he had actually forgotten which apartment his friend occupied. "Sorry," he responded, giving the woman a charming grin, "I think I've got the wrong room. I'm looking for Benji Dunn. Do you know which apartment he's in?"

The woman let out a soft chuckle. "No, no, you've come to the right place." As she spoke, the English accent became clear to the field agent. _She must be a relative_ , he thought. "Just a moment," she added before turning her head back toward the room behind her and shouting, "Benjamin, sweetie! There's an extremely handsome young man here to see you!"

From within the apartment, Ethan could hear a loud banging sound followed by Benji's voice yelling, "Mummy, please!" A slight smirk pulled at Ethan's lips in response to the complete horror in Benji's tone.

"He'll be right with us," the woman said to him before holding out her hand. "I'm Benji's mother, Olivia."

Ethan immediately took her hand and beamed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Ethan Hunt. I work with your son."

Her eyes seemed to light up like a Christmas tree. "So you're Ethan! Benji has told me so much about you!"

"Has he really?" He asked, brow raising with curiosity.

"Oh yes. He talks about you all the time. All good things, trust me. That boy thinks you're a hero."

Ethan felt his heart lighten at Mrs. Dunn's words. He had known for quite some time that Benji admired his skills, but there was something about hearing Benji's own mother say so that filled him with a sense of joy and affection for his partner.

"Now why don't you step inside," Mrs. Dunn said as she made a gesture with her left hand to beckon him into the apartment, "I just finished making some tea if you would like some."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

He stepped inside just as Benji emerged from one of the side rooms, wearing jeans and a hoodie that was partially unzipped to reveal an Empire Strikes Back t-shirt. "Ethan!" He exclaimed in surprise, hands immediately yanking at the bottom of his jacket. "What are you doing here?"

Ethan gave him an inquisitive smile, amused by the way his companion instinctively tried to improve his appearance. "Having tea with your mom, apparently," he remarked with a smile.

"Ethan, dear," Mrs. Dunn's voice echoed from the kitchen, "Would you like any honey or sugar with your tea?" Benji's cheeks seemed to flush a light shade of pink at the sound of his mother's voice.

Ethan turned back for a moment. "Just some sugar, please, Mrs. Dunn," he called back before addressing his partner. "Why didn't you tell me your mother was in town?"

"It never really crossed my mind, I guess." Benji shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to spend some time with you on our day off. I thought we could get lunch and maybe come back here to watch a movie or something." The baffled look that came across Benji's face made Ethan feel uneasy. Had he said something wrong? "What?" He asked worriedly.

The younger agent blinked and shook his head, tongue darting out to run over his bottom lip. "N-nothing! I just... I never really thought that you would want to spend time with me outside of the agency."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know! I mean, I'm not exactly the most exciting person and you're, well, you and-"

Benji stopped himself mid-sentenced and cleared his throat nervously as his mother made her way over to them and handed Ethan a steaming cup of tea. "Here you are."

"Thank you very much," Ethan said, flashing her a pearly-white smile.

"Of course, dear," she said enthusiastically. She then grabbed her own cup from the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table. "Why don't you two sit down for a bit? I'd love to get to know the man my son is so fascinated with."

Ethan immediately sat down in the chair across from hers, flanked closely by Benji who took his place beside him.

"So," Mrs. Dunn inquired eagerly as she wrapped her hands around her teacup, "Tell me a about yourself, Ethan. Where are you from? What's your story? As much as Benji has bragged about your achievements, I'd love to hear it straight from the source."

Ethan let out a soft chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I was born in Wisconsin but I spent most of my childhood on a farm in Middlefield, New York. I joined the Army as soon as I finished high school and became an Army Ranger in the 75th Regiment 3rd battalion. After a few years, I felt that there was more to my life than just serving in the Army so I decided to go to school at the University of Pennsylvania where I double majored in Engineering and International Relations. When I graduated, I immediately tried joining the CIA but, after completing the initial examinations, I was approached by Colonel Briggs who insisted that I join the IMF." He smiled widely and gestured to himself with his left hand. "And here I am."

"And here you are," she repeated with a look of fascination. "All that experience and yet you don't look a day over 40."

Ethan laughed softly and took a sip of his tea. "Well, I'll take that as an extreme compliment considering I recently hit 55."

They both laughed heartedly before Mrs. Dunn spoke again. "You really are a charming man. I see why Benji likes you so much."

Ethan's eyes flashed over to Benji, whose mouth was gaping slightly as if he were planning to interject but decided against it. He just clenched his jaw and avoided making eye contact with either of them.

"So when did you become Benji's partner, if you don't mind me asking," Mrs. Dunn added.

"Not that long ago actually," Ethan replied nonchalantly, "I mean we've worked together for about five years but it wasn't until about a year ago that we be became partners."

Mrs. Dunn seemed completely enthralled by Ethan's words. And her response made it very clear as to why: "I'm so glad you two have been together for so long. For years I've been telling Benji a boyfriend would do him wonders."

Ethan nearly spat out his tea and Benji's face grew so red he appeared to be on the verge of exploding.

"M-mummy!"

"Oh. No, Mrs. Dunn, we're not-"

"He's not my boyfriend, mum! We're work partners! Not... _Those_ kinds of partners."

The reaction that came across Mrs. Dunn's face was an odd combination of guilt, embarrassment, and disappointment. It was obvious that she had honestly mistaken their relationship as one beyond colleagues and friends and that she felt ashamed for thinking so. But Ethan could also tell that she was mildly crestfallen in discovering that Benji wasn't romantically tied to him.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, her voice gentle and full of sincerity, "I thought that you two were together."

Ethan raised his hand and smiled softly at her. "It's alright."

She ran her hand over her cheek. "I'm mortified."

"I know the feeling," Benji mumbled from beside Ethan, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

The expression Benji wore was extremely complex. Sure he was sheepish after having been accused of being in a relationship with one of his closest friends. But he was also abashed for a reason Ethan wasn't entirely aware of.

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Dunn. It isn't exactly a farfetched idea. At least not for me," he said casually before taking a sip of tea.

He glanced over at Benji just as the younger agent finished processing his words. Benji didn't seem to be horrified by Ethan's response. In fact, he looked more hopeful than anything. That meant he had not only caught onto Ethan's hint, but he was also hoping to reciprocate the implied feelings if they proved to be real.

Mrs. Dunn, having accurately interpreted Ethan's suggestive statement, let another grin tug at the corners of her mouth. "Well, thank goodness you understand. I'd hate to make a dreadfully drastic leap such as that." She threw Ethan a knowing glance before standing. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to retire to my room for a bath. Besides," she said as she placed her empty teacup in the sink, "I don't want to interfere with the conversation you two are about to have over lunch." She strolled over to the table and put her hand on Ethan's shoulder. "It was lovely meeting you, Ethan. I look forward to hearing more about you. Lord knows I will."

Exchanging one last grin with the older field agent, Mrs. Dunn made her way down the hallway and disappeared into the guest room. As soon as she was out of sight, Ethan turned to face Benji, teacup still nestled into the palms of his hands.

"You know, this would have been a lot easier for us both if you had just explained that you told your mother you were in love with me," Ethan murmured playfully.

Benji's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. "Wha- I did not tell her I was in love with you!"

"But you are."

"Well yes, but- No! No! I'm not in love with you! I just-" He stammered helplessly, desperately trying to clarify, "I have... Some _feelings_ for you." He looked down at the placemat before him, too coy to make eye contact.

"Benji."

"Yeah," the younger agent asked, lifting his gaze to meet Ethan's.

"Can I take you out to lunch?" He asked, a genuinely soft smile pulling at his lips.

Benji's entire body seemed to expel every ounce of tension that had built up during their conversation with his mother. His eyes brightened and his muscles relaxed. More importantly, he finally gave Ethan the one thing he wanted to see: a grin. It was such a kind, affectionate smile, one that made it impossible for Ethan to look away.

"I think the appropriate answer would be yes," Benji responded.

"Good." Ethan stood up and sighed in content before continuing, "Because I know a fantastic Italian place a few blocks north I think you'll like." He held his hand out warmly toward Benji, beaming down at his companion.

Benji grasped firmly onto his hand and let Ethan help him out of his seat. "I do have one demand though."

"And what would that be?"

"You take me back to your place for a drink afterward," Benji said, voice lowering suggestively.

Ethan's brow cocked upward and a small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I think I can comply with such a demand."

"Well then cheers, mate. You've got yourself a date."

With a chuckle, Ethan turned and led Benji out of the apartment. Once the door was secured and they were walking side by side, he reached out and took Benji's hand once again, interlocking their fingers for the first (and certainly not the last) time.


End file.
